A Nurse In Need
by tygermommy
Summary: Sam and Dean have an encounter with a creature of the sea, and Sam ends up in a predicament. All in the span of 24 hours. Lotsa hurt/angsty/pain-ridden!Sam, worried/sarcastic/nothelpful!Dean, OC. Het mpreg-a rarity! And a good, short story! Warnings for language and graphic birth. PLEASE read and review-and check out THE SALT OF THE EARTH! NOW-BABY TIME! Chapters 1-7 up!
1. Chapter 1

"You're a nurse, right? I heard you say you're a nurse."

Dean approached the woman probably more aggressively than he needed to be, but the situation called for it. His brother was in pain, and needed help, like, _NOW_. He didn't have time to flirt and allow it to simmer until it boiled. Not this time.

She turned towards him, away from the sea-front balcony, her eyes wide at the intrusion. She took a second to tear herself away from the chilly autumn air to respond. _This is never good. Not when conversations start this way. I thought I was on vacation. _She could see the underlying panic in his mossy eyes, and the brow furrowed with worry. A quiet, dark-haired guy with wide-set eyes stood behind him. We wore a trench coat and his tie was a bit askew. He was silent, but the same worry was etched across his face, as well.

"Um, yeah? What can I do for-?"

Before she could protest, she was escorted through the motel room door next to hers. Well, at least over the threshold. Then the Silent Man stopped her, anchoring himself against the door jams in an awkward almost-embrace, and limiting her from moving forward into the room. She could hear muffled groaning from what seemed like the back bedroom. The man who spoke to her first went into it and shut the door.

"You need to prepare yourself," the Silent Man said. "You are going to see things here that are against the natural order. And you will never share a word of it."

The First Guy exited the back bedroom, hurriedly walked over to the Silent Man and grabbed his shoulder, spinning him around. "Easy, Cas. Let her in the door." He looked her up and down intensely, panic just beneath the surface. "We need her. Don't scare her away."

Okay, well, the Silent Guy's name was Cas…Cas?

She wasn't a stupid woman. She's spent many a night watching Dateline and 20/20 about women who were alone with men in off-season, musty motel rooms, and who suffered fates worse than she'd seen in her 15 years in the ER _combined_ and weren't found until the spring.

Still, though, her curiosity drew her in. Call it a personality flaw. Yeah, it got her into trouble on occasion but hey-it lead to a pretty exciting existence for a 30-something with no husband or kids…

Before steering her to the bedroom, Dean made eye contact with Cas. She'd seen that look before. Desperation on the brink of all-out fear, falling apart inside when you're the one who might have to make _those_ decisions, standing beside a bed as if _Will_ _itself_ could make someone better…

He grabbed her by the elbow and led her to the door and quietly pushed it open. A man—a very large, tall man—laid on the bed on his right side. His arm was braced against his pillow and the other was filled with sheets. His breathing was fast and his hair was drenched with sweat. His eyes were squeezed closed, as well, as if he were concentrating hard on something. Like pain. You can fake a lot of things—she knew this—but this guy wasn't faking. Something was wrong, and he was exhausted by it. She shot the First Guy an inquisitive look and moved forward.

"Hi, honey," she greeted, kneeling beside him. She brushed his shaggy bangs off his forehead and rubbed his hair.

Her voice was the gentlest one he'd heard since all this started about 18 hours ago. There was no panic, no stress, no demands, just…peace…he opened his eyes and they immediately started to tear.

"What's going on, can you tell me? What's your name?"

"Sam."

The tremble in his voice unsteadied her. What was he hiding under that blanket? What did Cas mean when he said something about 'against natural order'? Still, she kept her demeanor of calm. It was never good to panic when people are looking to you for help or comfort. "What's wrong, Sam?" _Pace yourself, Marla…_

He drew in a deep breath and apprehensively glanced at the First Guy, before pulling back the bedspread with his free arm. "I wasn't like this yesterday."


	2. Chapter 2

A nurse in need…Chapter 2

18 hours earlier…Wildwood, New Jersey

"Dean—this is too easy."

Dean stopped in his tracks in the dank, dark, muddy tunnel and made his best attempt to stare down his brother. "Really, Sam? Can't we take advantage of an easy kill just once? This—_thing_ is getting women pregnant without kissing them first. Don't you think that's sort of rapey?"

The being (actually, being_s)_ that had appeared on Winchester Radar established their reputation almost a year ago. Women began discovering they were pregnant and swore to their doctors they had no memory of partaking in the conception. Day-after pills were useless because they had no memory of the act. Abortions were not an option, as each woman, despite having no knowledge of or affection for the father, reported a strange desire to see the child to birth and adulthood. The tabloids were full of stories of babies being born without the benefit of natural human reproduction; of course and aside from networks dedicated to the unexplained and creepy, no reputable television station or newspaper would touch it. Dean had declared after reading a column in the Weekly World News that it was investigation-worthy, and the two set off, interviewing each pregnant woman intently and searching for a pattern or clue as to what or who was responsible for the "single parent babies." Healthy, young men were turning up naked and stunned on beaches and under boardwalks, claiming that they were seduced by gorgeous women the night before and reported feeling "rufied and horny." Sam Winchester, in his unyielding curiosity and penchant for research, had connected that all these victims had vacationed close to the same place at relatively the same time. More interestingly, each child that had been born to date bore a small "birthmark" resembling a triton on their ankle; to their mothers, it was a skin anomaly—to Sam and Dean it was the sign they were looking for…

They learned, in their research, that faeries (or Landfolk) had a companion species in the sea—mer people—and they, like their counterparts, attempted to breed with human beings, sometimes against their will or under heavy supernatural sedation. Each child born of a union between a human and mer would bear a mark that was easily identified by the Sea People and would eventually lead the child back to the water. Because the mer-people had such a fascination with dry land, these offspring were held in high regard. The only way to kill one, in addition to preventing it from returning to water, was to behead it with a bronze knife.

"It follows a pattern," Sam informed his brother, studying from a website dedicated to the Fae and their kin. "They breed every 100 years. It almost seems like they go into a feeding frenzy."

"Sex-crazed fish leg-humpers. Nice."

The mermaid they found (yes—they procreate with human males) was heavily pregnant and much to Dean's delight, as easy kill. Or so they thought. Sam held her down from behind (actually, he fell on her after being tail-lashed—kills aren't always as easy as Dean makes them out to be) and as the elder Winchester raised his weapon over her, she began to cry out in an unfamiliar, eardrum-busting, LOUD chirp. It was nothing like Latin, nor did it sound like Enochian. "It sounded, like, Shamu…" Sam stated to his brother, rubbing his now-sore inner ear. Recalling the hunt later on that night, Dean recalled something peculiar. Instead of trying to shield herself from the knife—it seemed she almost _accepted_ that she would die—she reached around and grabbed Sam around his torso and held on while her belly flattened out…

SPN SPN SPN SPN SPN SPN SPN

She drew in a sharp breath at the sight of the man's abdomen. It was swollen and grossly distended and devoid of any musculature, which she guessed probably, in it's normal state, was pretty impressive.

If Marla was anything, she was a brilliant nurse. Burnt-out and questioning her career, but brilliant nonetheless. The incident that lead her to Wildwood, New Jersey, left her questioning whether she'd even step into a hospital again. Ever. She'd been accused of being a "street nurse," by doctors in the ER, because of her ability to engage with patients, even the belligerent ones, and get them to submit to treatment even if they didn't want to. All of that didn't matter now. Difficult days made Wal-Mart greeting look like an viable career choice. Slowly, that started being the heavier percentage of her work day. Then…tragedy struck. And it was her fault.

Able to contain the majority of her reaction, she spread her hand over her mouth again and began to triage in her head, carefully monitoring her outward appearance. This guy was scared shitless, and she didn't need to add to it.

"This man needs a hospital. Now." She stood up and reached around to her back pocket, pulled out her cellphone and began to dial 911.

She was interrupted, very suddenly, by the man who was called Cas, who swiftly appeared at her side and snapped it in half. "That's not possible."

Her eyes widened and she sucked in a quick, shocked breath. First, at this guy's ability to move as fast as he did, then, more importantly, that there was a young man whose gut looked like it was ready to explode and his "friends" were preventing him from emergency medical treatment.

She stood, glaring at them, then the other guy spoke.

"Listen. My name is Dean Winchester. He's my brother-."

Sam issued a pained squeak and Dean stopped short.

"Fuck you, Dean."

"Hey, I didn't do this!"

"Fuck you anyway."

"Shut up, man. I've taken bigger shits that this-."

Still panting, Sam looked up at Marla. "No hospital. And yes, he's my brother. And I hate him right now."

Marla again knelt beside the bed and felt Sam's forehead.

Her fingers were wondrously cool…

"He doesn't have a fever. What did he eat?" Moving her fingers from his head to his wrist to count his heart rate, she searched for answers from the two healthier looking men in the group.

"Nothing. I didn't eat anything," Sam offered. He grabbed her hand and pressed it to his stomach.


	3. Chapter 3

A Nurse In Need Chapter 3

…Something moved.

She whooped in surprise and drew her hand away, as if she'd been burned, and covered her mouth. Her legs shook despite her attempt to control, again, but this time her shock was palpable. _What did this guy do? What IS that? It feels like a baby. That's just not possible…_

She stood there for a whole minute, her mind speeding at a thousand miles an hour, just staring at the poor guy in the bed, until she gathered enough of her wits about her to start making a plan.

First, run…

"Listen. I don't know what this is. I'm really not qualified to help-."

"You are going to help."

Second, assess…

Cas moved closer to her, but this time it didn't seem nearly as intimidating. He was asking without asking. His eyes were filled with worry and compassion. "This man needs your help. You are here because you were chosen to be here. Everyone here will do whatever you ask."

Marla let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, quizzically looking at the speaker, and resigned herself to do whatever she could until she couldn't do any more. She focused on Dean and handed him her keys.

"There's two medical bags in my trunk. One looks like a briefcase and the other looks like an old Doctor's bag. Can you get them?"

Before long, she had her equipment, took his temperature again and started her best try to get as much info as she could.

"When did you notice this?"

Sam swallowed. "Last night. Late last night."

"And you weren't like this yesterday?"

"No."

"Can you lay on your back?"

Sam shifted over as best he could. He was obviously uncomfortable and really not able to move with any degree of ease. It was then the size of his stomach truly revealed itself. It was huge and round and his skin almost looked transparent.

Dean hissed and winced.

"Does it hurt?"

"Only every ten minutes or so." He drew in a pained breath. "Like now." Sam began to pant and brought his hands up to the sides of his head. Dean, Marla, and Cas watched as his stomach tightened and shifted again, as if there was something _trying to get out_. Sam drew up his legs and started to roll gently from one side to the other, trying to ease the cramping.

Now, most medical personnel have only one model, and this pretty much explains everything in one way or another, according to what they've learned about the human body. This, well, didn't fit anything in that model. Still Marla tried to make sense of it.

"I'm gonna ask this very gently. Have you had any—surgeries-lately that might have—added—or taken away—certain body parts?"

Still panting and looking at the woman incredulously, Sam stopped mid-breath while Dean giggled out loud. "What? No! I'm a guy. I always have been."

"I've questioned that from time to time," Dean added. "I changed his diaper when he was little, though. I never saw anything different than mine. A little smaller, maybe-."

Marla rolled her eyes and reached into her bag. "I can't believe I'm even doing this."

She set a Doppler machine on Sam's now-soft stomach and turned it on.

"Is that a heartbeat?"

Marla, confused, nodded affirmatively. It was a strong one, too…152 beats a minute. Normal for a healthy newborn…

Sighing first, Marla looked at Sam dead straight in the eyes and raised her eyebrows. "Look. I don't know how this is possible, but you're going to deliver a baby. Soon. I don't know how that's gonna happen either…I need to find out how it's laying in there." She pulled the covers further back and began to press hard on his stomach with both hands, feeling around for a head or some other extremity she could identify.

Dean moved closer and sat on the side of the bed opposite his brother. He could see how uncomfortable Sam was, drawing in a tense breath every time Marla found a new place to palpate and arching his back against it.

"It hurts."

"I'm sorry. I'm doing the best I can. Wanna know the upside of all this?"

Sam made an honest attempt to smile. "You mean there is one?"

Marla nodded. "You have the best nurse on this side of the planet taking care of you."

She rubbed his upper arm, trying to comfort him, even if she was unsure if comfort was an option. "Try to close your eyes for a little bit. I'm gonna talk to your brother. Okay?"

Sam nodded and closed his eyes. He was getting more and more tired as he went, and he didn't know when or how this was going to end. Obviously, it was a curse. And curses never end well. They exist for one of two reasons: To torture and kill or to teach a lesson. Sam guessed it was the first one. Even with this growing apprehension, he closed his eyes and felt himself slipping into a good doze. He really didn't have a choice in the matter…

Marla grabbed Dean by the elbow and guided him out of the bedroom and into the living area of the motel. He studied her for the first time since this whole thing started. Damn, she was pretty. She had bright green eyes and long dark thick hair. _If she was my nurse, I'd find a way to show up in the ER every day of the week_, he thought. She kinda reminded him of Valerie Bertinelli, a little past her One Day at a Time Days—_closer to Van Halen_.

She pulled a kitchen chair away from the table and sat and waited for the two men to sit with her. She needed information—as much as she could get—even if she didn't want to know.

"What did this to him?"

Dean and Cas looked to each other, then back to her. Dean took a deep breath and tried his best to spell it out for her_. Might as well tell her the truth. If this thing's coming out, she's gonna see it anyway…_

"Mermaids."

She closed her mouth, raised her eyebrows and nodded. "Mermaids."

"You see, they breed with humans every 100 years, and-."

"Wait. Ariel? Like the Little Mermaid? They exist?! And of all the people on the planet, they picked your brother? To breed with?"

"Well—I probably would've been the better choice-."

Cas, growing more and more frustrated, spoke up. "He and his brother are hunters. They hunt the supernatural, and kill it. Last night, they killed a mermaid. She placed a spell on Sam to carry her unborn child. I can't do anything yet to help, because the spell needs to run its course before I can intervene—."

"Wait. Who are you?"

"I'm an angel of the Lord. My name is Castiel."

Marla rubbed her temples. Information overload. _I'm headed to the nearest mental health crisis unit, yes I am. Mermaids, pregnant men and angels of the Lord. There isn't enough thorazine in the world for this…_

A loud moan and grunt escaped from the other room, and the three entered, finding Sam back on his side, panting and grunting with pain. His voice was shaky again. "Please help me. I'm bleeding."

Marla pulled back the sheets. Sam was right. Well, partially right. He was laying in a pool of fluid, but not all of it was blood…


	4. Chapter 4

A Nurse In Need—Chapter 4

Once again in this strangest of days, Marla found herself brushing her hand over her face and desperately trying to triage her patient. She pursed her lips for a second, closed her eyes and mentally put her plan in order. Then she began to act.

"Okay—Sam—don't panic. Guys? Could you wait outside? I need to find out where this came from."

Dean looked at Sam, and despite all the teasing that had gone on since the beginning of this particular ordeal ("I bet you have a vajayjay, Sam. No wait…you always did."), the love and dedication the brothers had for each other was as strong as it ever was. Sam was scared shitless and Dean could see it. They'd been through some ordeals together—their entire _lives_ had been an ordeal—but they always had each other, even if they weren't getting along at the time. It wasn't Dean's way to leave his brother in the hands of anyone but himself. This wasn't a possession or an angel attack—hell, that would have been easy. They were working with a little-documented phenomenon and neither was sure about how this would turn out. Since, even in the documentation they did find (there was nothing about a pregnant man in the lore), any prediction was pure speculation and had no functional pattern to follow. Working in tandem had its benefits, and even though the angels had ions of fighting together, they had some serious competition with the Winchesters…

This wasn't one of those times.

Sam was alone. Dean couldn't share in this pain. He had to leave his brother in the hands of a stranger, and before Dean closed the door, the look of uncertainty he got from his brother injected a level of fear in his heart he hadn't felt in quite some time.

He looked at Marla, eyes again pleading with her to 'take care of my brother.' "I'll be right outside."

She nodded at the exiting men and then returned her attention to Sam.

"Okay, honey, we have to see what's going on. Can I take a look?"

Sam silently nodded, heart pounding. "What do I need to do?"

"Just lay back. I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm just going to look."

After donning a pair of latex gloves, she gently nudged his knees apart and peered between them. Yes—he still had the parts he was blessed with from birth, but just under them, she could see a small opening. It was red and swollen, and not totally unfamiliar, given her additional history of being utilized from time to time in labor and delivery when things in the ER were slow.

She looked at Sam and offered him her best smile. "Well, it looks like there's an escape route."

"I wish there was one for me."

She smiled again and in the next moment, returned her focus to treatment.

"Sooo…I'm gonna assume for medicine's sake this is gonna be as normal a delivery as it can under the circumstances. "

"What does that mean?"

"Well, your water already broke, which means that you're probably dilated, but it's hard to tell how far along you are in all this without checking to see."

Sam's eyes widened. Of all the things he'd seen through the years, he'd never seen how babies were born. Yeah, he'd heard Amelia talking to a friend about her labor and delivery, but to see or experience it? Nope.

"How do you do that?"

"Examine the cervix."

"You have to put your hand _in there_?"

"Yeah."

"Does it hurt?"

"It can. Not all the time. Some women don't feel it at all, others say it's a little bit of pressure, and you'd think with some other women that you were killing them."

"Will it make it go faster?"

She shook her head. "No, but it'll give us an idea."

Sam drew up his legs and spread his knees. There wasn't any real way to prepare for this…he'd had no comparative experience, so he decided to focus on his breathing, like he was taught when he was young and had to stitch up his own arm…

He felt Marla's fingers on the outside of him, just under his "real" parts, then they pressed inward.

At first, it was strange. He'd never felt anything like that before. Nothing had ever _been there_…he could feel her moving deeper and deeper, and then, he felt pressure—almost like he had to poop. He decided the best route from here was just to focus on his breathing…

She avoided any eye contact with him, for a couple of reasons: well, let's be honest—it was awkward. Fingering a guy with a vagina wasn't one of the highlights of her career. And, just as importantly, he was frightened, and even with all her years of blood, tears, and grief, that look, from anyone, stirred enough compassion in her enough to distract her.

She heard Sam draw in a quick breath and hold it for a second, and then let it out, and do it again. Her fingers bumped into something hard, and he yipped out loud.

"I'm sorry, Sam."

She looked up and saw tears streaming from the corners of his eyes, through his hair and into the pillow. She didn't though, retract her hand yet. If this was close to anything like a female delivery, he was about where he needed to be, given that this would be the equivalent of giving birth to a first child.

"Okay, well, there's some good news. You're about halfway there."

"What does that mean?"

"The cervix is about 5 centimeters dilated. You got five more before you can start to push."

Sam felt like he was going to vomit. _Push?_

"Once it comes out, give it to my brother so he can kill it."

"Kill it?"

"Yeah. It's not human."

Marla had to wait for her next question, and she was full of them.

Sam felt his abdomen tightening up again and started to pant. Wow, this was bad.

"It might get a little worse, now, Sam, since your water broke. It might move things along a little more."

"No kidding." Sam grunted and rolled to his side and pushed his head into the pillow. His breaths came fast and shallow now, and fresh sweat began to bead on his forehead. When his stomach muscles contracted even more, a frustrated grunt escaped and he bared his teeth at the embarrassment.

Marla moved behind him on the bed and began to firmly massage his lower back. Offering counterpressure during the labor process can bring some amount of comfort, as least for human mothers with regular, uncomplicated deliveries. She heard Sam's breathing slow a little. When the contraction was over, she decided she needed more information. Especially about killing the newborn. That didn't sit okay with her…

"Did that help?"

"Yeah, a little. Thank you."

"Take a cleansing breath."

"What's that mean?"

"Take a deep breath and let it go."

Sam did exactly what he was asked, and felt some relief that at least one person here had some competence with what was happening to him.

"Thank you."

Just then, there was a light tap on the door and Dean and Cas walked in.

"Everything okay?"

Sam and Marla exchanged a glance. "Without getting too technical, it's progressing. He's about halfway there. The biggest thing is helping him relax for right now."

"I told her we have to kill it," Sam added softly, offering a fleeting look his brother's way.

Dean set his jaw. "Yeah. We'll take care of it. We just have to get you through this."

"Wait a minute. You're going to kill a newborn? Don't you want to see it first? Maybe it's not so bad-."

"Look. It's not human. It's not ours-."

"I have a suggestion," Cas interrupted. " I can seek some assistance from the Mer-people-."

"Wait. What?! Cas—they're raping women and getting them pregnant! Am I crazy or does this seem a little off to you?" Dean shook his head. "Don't answer that."

"Not one woman you spoke to objected-."

"It's a spell, Cas!" It was obvious that Dean was stressed, and this is not an emotion he has dealt well with in the past.

"It's a spell that sustains life, not takes it," Cas pressed. He silently looked around the room, his mind set on his goal. "I'll be back." In a whisp of feathers rustling, he was gone.

Dean rolled his eyes and huffed, knowing that changing Cas' opinion at this point was pointless.


	5. Chapter 5

A Nurse In Need—Chapter 5

"Sam, you need to breathe."

"Shut the fuck up, Dean. Breathe this."

Marla sat on the edge of the bed, facing Sam and rubbing his hair as his "uterus" worked to expel its contents. She smiled to herself, recalling her relationship with her sister and how the brothers acted so similar.

Dean leaned his butt on the dresser, facing Marla. His arms were crossed at his chest and Marla swore he aged in front of her, that the wrinkles from worry on his face wouldn't disappear, even after his brother saw the curse through to the end.

"This is your fault," Sam grunted between pants. The contractions were coming more swiftly now and lasted almost as long as the breaks in between. Sam growled and whined, clutched and swung his arms at invisible elements until he found handfuls of sheets, and buried his face in his sweat-soaked pillow until he felt his stomach relax. Each time, it was harder and harder to manage not to scream out loud and fill the air with expletives and wishes that his brother would somehow have to pass a bowling ball through his ass every day for the rest of his life.

"Are you feeling anything different, Sam?"

As the seize ebbed, he was able to catch his breath. "No. I just feel like my pelvis is getting hit by a battering ram from the inside."

Dean gagged and covered his mouth.

Marla's eyes widened with concern. She missed something.

"Dean, do you wanna step outside again, or stay?"

He unfolded his arms and ran his hands over his face. "I'll stay. What's wrong?"

Swiftly and still trying to maintain Sam's shredding dignity, Marla uncovered his lower body with just enough sheet to reach under and do an internal exam. Sam yelped in pain and covered his eyes at the intrusion, tears welling again under his hands.

"Warn me next time—OW!"

He instinctively arched his back and dug his heels into the mattress as Marla probed inside him deeper and deeper. It was bad enough that something needed to come out, but now there was something reaching _in_…

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! OW!"

Dean moved quickly to his brother's head and knelt on the floor beside him. Sam reached for him through closed eyes, grabbed his hands and squeezed hard. Beyond exhausted and frustrated from the lack of progress, Sam started to cry. From what the older Winchester could see, Marla was up inside his brother to her elbow…

When she finally pulled out arm out, his suspicions were confirmed. More alarming, though, was the color of her face. It was white.

"Sam, hang in there. Dean, can I talk to you?"

He looked down at his baby brother and swallowed.

"Go," Sam ordered, his breath hitching.

Dean followed Marla just outside the door and quietly closed it. The look on her face was grave.

She took a deep breath and started in a whisper.

"He's dilated to 10, and he hasn't stopped labor-."

"—And? Can't he start pushing this fucker out so we can get over this?"

"It won't come out, Dean."

"What do you mean?"

"His pelvis isn't big enough. From what I can tell, it's a big baby. He isn't built for childbirth. It just keeps on being pushed down from the inside, but he's not made to deliver. No matter how hard he pushes, it's not gonna happen."

Realizing the situation, Dean's pallor changed to match Marla's. His brother could die.

Dean didn't move from his spot; he clenched his jaw and scanned the room for an answer. "Cut it out." He met her stare again. His eyes were piercing her and his nostrils were flared. Something told Marla that when Dean Winchester issued this look at a creature he meant to kill, there was little chance of escape. "Cut it out and I'll call Cas to fix him. Do it."

"Oh, God…"

"It doesn't have to be pretty, just effective. I don't care if you use a steak knife. Get it out of him."

"Dean…"

"If you don't, I will."

_The memory. Of tissue…uterus splayed out on the table…a woman with a hole big enough in her abdomen to drop a basketball in…blood soaking the floor…a baby struggling to take a breath…and a mortified father just outside the door…_

Marla thought her legs were going to give out. Now, she'd been puked on, shit on, bled on, and been on the receiving end of a flailing arm trying to escape a 5-point restraint, but never was able to withstand cries of pain for very long. It actually helped in the long run: her skill at patching, suturing, setting and anything else the ER had to offer was quickly dispatched and dealt with by amazing speed and proficiency…it was actually a coping skill.

"Dean, you don't understand…his wounds would be deep—he'd lose too much blood…what if I knick a vessel or an artery?!"

"Cas will fix it."

"You better get him-."

Their conversation was interrupted by a low, sustained grunt from the bedroom.

Dean burst into the room, and Marla entered close behind. There was Sam, turned entirely around on the bed so his back was to the couple. He was squatting and gripping the headboard and pushing as hard as he could.

"SAM, STOP!"

Both rushed over to him, one on each side.

"I heard you…I'm not dying like this—I'm not…and she's not cutting me open," Sam said, pausing to look at Dean. His voice shook with a mix of fear, determination and absolute exhaustion. He took a deep breath and pushed again.

"Sam, you're wearing yourself out, honey! You need to stop!"

Marla reached around to his rear end again, and pulled back a handful of blood…


	6. Chapter 6

A Nurse In Need—Chapter 6

Dean saw the blood. He saw the look on Marla's face, then he saw his brother.

His face was draining of color, his eyes were unfocused. He muttered, "Dean," and slumped into his brother's waiting arms.

Before he could ask any questions, Marla was out the door and grabbing clean towels from a nearby housekeeping cart, right outside the door.

"He's hemorrhaging."

Dean watched in shocked silence as Marla began holding towels between Sam's legs and pushing as hard as she could.

"CAAAAS!" Dean screamed. "CASSSSS!"

The towels were filling up too fast. There were too many…

"Dammit, Sam…" Dean looked closer at Marla. She was shaking and crying.

They heard a flutter of wings, and Cas appeared. He had company.

His guest sported long white hair, and a long, matching beard that tumbled over his chest from his chin; both were curly and wet. Under the impressive mane, his chest appeared well-muscled and young. His legs were long and matched the fitness of his upper body, and skin faded away to scales the further down it went. His feet resembled fins, but moreso like a water-dwelling animal that could make due on land, if it so chose.

Cas looked about the room, not bothering to introduce the merman to his friends, and rushed to Sam's side, placing his hand on Sam's belly.

Dean's face turned icy as he turned his attention to Cas' delivery. To his surprise, the Merman didn't stand down, nor did he seem intimidated.

Marla continued to change towels.

"FIX HIM!"

The Merman silently folded his arms, not averting his gaze.

Slowly and apprehensively, Cas turned from Sam to referee the battle of wills behind him. "This is Oannes. His daughter was the mother of the unborn inside Sam."

"Great, Cas. I hunted her and you bring her dad to play meet and greet?! In a Motel Emergency Room? My brother is dying!" He turned to the Cas' passenger. "Take the baby and fix my brother, please?"

The Mer spoke slowly and resolutely, almost regally, as he addressed Dean.

"You stole my daughter. And now her child. Why should I do any favors for you?"

Dean's shoulders dropped. He stood in silence and averted his gaze. Panic still thrumming through his nervous system , he shot looks between the Mer and Cas, and neither spoke. Oannes had a point. Dean's eyes began to water, part out of frustration, but mostly out of the grief that was taking root and beginning to blossom…

Cas turned his head away. "We were in the midst of negotiations when you called."

Marla turned to Dean. In his face, she saw a kindred spirit—one of extreme loss and purpose, one whose life would end with the death of another, and then she pressed a stethoscope to Sam's belly.

"Can you save the baby?" She whispered. " There's still a heartbeat."

The majestic creature unfolded his arms and put his chin in the air, as if he was surveying the room and carefully considering his options. "I can. But one life does not equal two. I lost my daughter. One cannot be compensation for two. The boy will die."

Marla looked at the motionless figure lying in the bed, then back at Dean. She hadn't known him for much time, but his expression mimicked hers of 364 days, 4 hours, 23 minutes and 17 seconds ago. Utter helplessness was no doubt taking up residence in his blood. If she had to describe the word 'zombie,' she would have used her life during the past year as the definition—a being who eats, almost never sleeps, walks and talks, but has no purpose for taking the next breath, and isn't sure from time to time whether the heart in chest cavity is even beating. Basically, already dead on the inside and just waiting for the body to succumb.

Dean sat on the bed opposite Sam. He looked as Cas. "Is there anything you can do?"

Cas shook his head. "No. If Oannes does not release Sam, there's nothing I can do."

Marla refocused her attention to Sam. His breathing was shallow and quick, but at least he was still alive. This bought her some time. The blood loss had slowed, but would resume as soon as any trauma to the body began again.

Her voice began in an almost inaudible whisper. "Take me." As she turned around, she watched as Dean lifted his head, then stood straight and looked the Mer in the eye. "Take me."

The older brother's eyes widened, his mouth fell open, but nothing came out.

Oannes' cold blue eyes fixed on her. "You would give your life for a murderer?"

Her eyes filled with tears. "I would." Her voice started to shake, and she covered her mouth, hitched and looked back at Dean. "I would because I am one." She gathered her emotions enough to speak, but her words came out in quick stops and starts. "I killed my sister. I did something stupid because I thought she could handle it, that it was the right thing, and it killed her. And her baby." She stopped for a second, then began again. "We used to vacation here when we were little, and I came here to die. I was going to walk into the ocean and never walk out. I wouldn't wish this last year on my worst enemy. Please don't let this happen to him. If you can, I'll go with you. I'll help deliver the baby and you can take us both. Take me."

Oannes' eyes glanced around the room, as if to ponder the newest offer. He then addressed Dean, "I must have your guarantee and testimony, Sir, that you will not interfere with our breeding process or terminate any of my people or their progeny, ever again."

Dean stood up, hope returning, and he met the creature's stare. "I promise." His promise was resolute and uncompromising.

Webbed feet slowly stepped over and laid a hand on Sam's abdomen. Immediately, the young man took a deep breath and started to stir.

He directed his attention back to Marla. "Work quickly, daughter."

Wiping away her tears, Marla moved quickly to rid the bed of the bloody towels as Dean moved to his brother's side. "Hey, brother, welcome back. We have work to do."

Sam winced as his "escape route," was examined once again, and soon after, labor resumed where it had left off. This time, though, Sam began to feel the inescapable need to push.

He began to pant and groan, his stomach becoming harder and harder as contractions hit. Any obstetrician will attest that the mother's efforts in pushing are essential with the delivery of a baby. Sam was just too tired.

Clutching Dean's shirt, crying and grimacing with pain, Sam looked is brother in the eye. "Dean, I can't…it hurts…it hurts-."

Marla looked up at Dean. "He needs to push. There's no one that can do it but him."

Dean grabbed Sam's chin and forced a face to face. "YOU NEED TO DO THIS, SAM!"

"The next time you feel it, sweetheart, push as hard as you can!"

The contractions were on top of each other, but with each one, Sam's face wrinkled as he bore down and closed his eyes, but his efforts weren't bearing much fruit.

Suddenly, Dean had an idea. "Cas—get over on the other side…maybe gravity will help." He and the angel hoisted Sam up into a squatting position, each man under an arm, with Sam's legs splayed as wide as they would go without coming out of the joints.

Sam felt the difference shift inside him. The baby's head seemed like it was sitting right inside the skin, and was 'blunt-force-trauma-ing' it's way out…

Still panting with pain and tears forming so fast and large they were falling straight from his eyes, Sam involuntarily succumbed to each urge to push. He could hear the 'come on, Sams' and the multiple urges to 'keep going,' and Dean's annoying counts to 10, but they all seemed like they were a thousand miles away. He would start to grunt with each new urge, and against his will, it would carry on for the entire push until he had no air left. Then he would draw in, and it would start all over again….

"WHY IS IT GOING BACK IN?! I CAN FEEL IT!"

Marla rubbed his thigh, trying to offer some comfort. "It comes out a little more each time, honey…keep going."

"I'm so tired."

She cued Dean and Cas to lay him back on some pillows against the headboard. "Take a couple seconds to rest." Marla reached up and rubbed the side of his cheek. "You're doing well, you're pushing well, I know it hurts but it'll be over soon, I promise."

A few moments, later, Sam began pant in earnest again and respond to his body's need to expel. He pushed until he thought his brain was going to exit through his ass, and then he felt something let go…

He started to scream.

"IT'S RIPPING MEEEEEEE! NGGGGGGHHHH!"

Marla grabbed Sam by the chin and forced him to look at her. "It's not ripping you, Sam-!"

"IT BURNSSSS!"

"I know, honey, the baby's head is right there, you're almost done!"

Sam heaved a gargantuan push, and then sharply inhaled and did it again. His legs began to shake uncontrollably, and his brother and Cas kept their grips tight under his arms.

"Come on, Sam," Dean whispered into his ear. "You lifted the Mjolnir. _Nobody—in the world—can do that_-you're my hero. You can do this."

Sam closed his eyes and pushed without making a sound, that is, until the end. As he ran out of air again and exhaled what was left, an unintended growl escaped.

"Okay, Sam, the head's about halfway out—one more push and then stop."

Sam repeated his last effort, and the baby's head was outside of his body. Then he stopped, as instructed, and panted, almost yelling with each breath.

"It's stuck-."

"No, it's not, he just needs a little coax…and a little turn…"

Then Sam felt the oddest sensation he's ever experienced. He'd been tossed through the air, burned in Hell, hit by cars, detoxed from demon blood, but he had never, ever, felt a child hitting his pelvic bones on the way out of his own body. It was a mix of bones and sinew, wet and slimy…and over…

He gasped out of shock and dug his heels into the bed as the child was delivered and spasmodically grabbed his and Cas' clothing in his fists, and then fell limp into the bed.

Marla wrapped the mewling newborn in a clean towel and laid her onto his belly. Both Sam and Dean, still in mid-surprise, gaped at her and the New One. She smiled. "It's a girl."

She looked up at Dean, holding a small pair of scissors in her hand. He swallowed hard, gagged, and waved it away, declining as gracefully as he could.

"She's kinda cute," Sam smiled, brushing he baby's cheek. Upon hearing his voice, her eyes opened wide and she began to search the room.

Marla finished cutting the umbilical cord and prepared for the placenta to be delivered.

Cas reached for the child and smiled at Sam. Sam let her go, swallowing a weird lump in his throat. _She isn't even mine…_

The angel handed the child to her grandfather. "I have permission to heal him now, correct? His deal is done."

Oannes nodded silently as he cradled the towel-wrapped infant.

Cas resumed his place at Sam's side, and touched his forehead.

Nothing happened.


	7. Chapter 7

A Nurse In Need Chapter 7

Sam continued to lay on the bed, all his energy seemingly expended, his eyes closed. His breath had slowed to an almost normal pace, but he was still pale and soaked with sweat.

Not the look of someone who had just received a celestial healing.

Dean exchanged looks with Cas and Oannes. "What's happening here? If you know anything about me, you should know I don't take being double-crossed well. And if that's what you did, I will hunt you and your family down until you're all dead. You can find your name on the _Extinct_ list next to-."

The Sea-man's right hand began to glow and a triton, blazing greenish-blue, began to twist and form from his fingers.

Dean began to move towards the creature, and Cas quickly shoved him backwards and positioned himself between them before Oannes could strike. He stood there for a better part of a minute acting as an angelic shock absorber.

None of the three noticed the activity behind them…

"Um, guys?" Sam's weak voice floated from across the room and diverted their attention.

When they turned around, Marla was palpating Sam's stomach again, puzzled. It almost looked like a deflated water balloon, but she was hitting something solid. He was obviously uncomfortable again, working very hard to breathe normally, but not laboring as he was. At least not yet…

"I think there's a stowaway in there," Marla stated, not meeting anyone's surprised look. She continued to exam Sam's stomach and reached under the sheets again.

"Aw, come on—really?! Ouch! Dammit, Marla, that hurts!"

She offered him an empathetic look right before she pushed her hand further inside him.

He drew in a breath and held it. _God, this was miserable…_

Dean, assuming the big brother position again, knelt again on the floor beside his sibling. "Is he gonna have to do this again?"

"Yes."

"Fuck me…"

"Just try to rest as long as you can."

Before long, Sam started to rock his hips and pant and reach for his brother. The end was beginning.

"Mother _fucker_!"

Dean turned to Cas. "Assume the position, Cas."

Both men again lifted Sam up, this time they were facing him, and each had a leg up on the bed, hooking one of Sam's legs on each, and holding them apart.

This position, again, allowed the child's head to move straight down through Sam's pelvis, and the battering ram began.

The involuntary heaves commenced again, Sam growling as he pushed.

"You know that Mjolnir, Dean?" Sam panted, between pushes.

"Um, yeah?"

"I'm pushing it outta my ass."

Both Sam and Dean giggled before Sam let his head fall onto his brother's neck. He heard Sam talking to his body, softly, almost so he couldn't hear it. "Open up…just open up, please, just open up."

Dean looked down at Marla. "Shouldn't this be going a little faster?"

"Not always," she replied, wiping Sam with a cloth. "It's another big one."

"Lotta pressure, Sammy…"

Before he could take a breath, Sam's body took over for a particularly hard contraction. He inhaled sharply, and pushed as hard as he could. This time, when he ran out of air, he had enough time to take another big breath before he lurched forward and grunted. Dean could feel his brother's legs begin to tremble again. He began to breathe like he'd sprinted an entire marathon, and rested his head backwards.

"Her head's right there, Sammy…"

His voice was shaky. "IT BURNS AGAIN!" He lowered his chin to his chest and moaned. " Nghhhhh!"

"You're so close-."

Sam pitched forward to push and grimaced and growled. Marla could see the baby's head begin to crown, emerge some, retract, and then re-emerge a little further with each strenuous push.

"IT hurts…please just get it out…please…my hips are breaking…please…"

Sam submitted to yet another contraction and groaned through a push. Dean watched as his belly rounded and hardened. Quickly and without warning, the baby's head emerged and Sam threw his head back and screamed. In a panic, he tried to push, only to be stopped by Marla.

"Sam, STOP! Don't push!"

"I can't! I have to!"

Dean could see that Marla looked like she was unwrapping something. "The cord is around the baby's neck. SAM, DO NOT PUSH!"

Dean put his free hand on his brother's chest to get his attention. "Sam, look at me! Pant with me brother! Pant!"

Sam focused all the energy he had left into following his brother. He heard nothing else—he saw nothing else but Dean's face.

"That's it, little brother…"

Dean could see that his brother was straining not to push. The skin around his forehead was encircled with broken blood vessels that resembled a halo. "Hang in there, brother." Dean kissed his sweaty hair while his brother struggled against his working body. After some long moments, the baby was ready…

"Okay, Sam, we're clear, push as hard as you can, honey! This baby's gonna need some TLC-!"

Sam again silently pushed, took a deep breath and pushed again.

He screamed when he felt the child's entire body emerge from his own.

This time, though, there was no crying. There was no lying the newborn on Sam's belly. Marla was working frantically to cut the cord and then began to rub the baby's chest.

She was blue.

Dean and Cas laid Sam back to the mattress, but he used his failing strength to protest. "What's wrong? What's wrong with her?" He reached between his legs to get a better view. "Did I do something wrong?"

"She's not breathing. Come on, sweetheart—just one breath…come on…"

"Give her to me," Sam cried. "Lemme see her." His eyes began to fill with tears, not for the effort he just put forth, but because she was innocent. She was innocent and beautiful…and she just came out of his body. If she didn't survive, it would be his fault, somehow, someway, he'd failed her.

Marla laid the child's limp body into Sam's arms. He cradled her like he'd cradled a baby a million times. Everyone in the room knew he hadn't, but as he did, it seemed so…_natural_…

This time, it was Dean that was amazed at his brother. He held her and pleaded with her and hugged her and kissed her. Then he put his mouth over hers…

The first sign of life was protest. She drew her legs up and her arms flailed and then…she screamed bloody murder…

Let's admit this, at least. Sam Winchester is a good crier. His dad tried to teach him not to and actually made fun of him for it as an ineffective teaching tool. At first, when he was little, he tried not to, but it didn't quite fit him; then, as he got older, it became a defiance thing—he cried when he felt like it and made no attempt to curtail it. That skill was left to Dean to master, and even then, at the worst times, the elder Winchester failed to cage it. Sam cried. In fact, he sobbed. He sobbed and cradled this little, tiny girl and lifted her little angry arm to look at her fingers and count them. He kissed her fist and rubbed her little blood-stained head and began to talk to her, much like a new father would talk to his own.

He looked up, knowing that his time with them was borrowed. Dutifully, he handed the child to Oannes.

The last thing he remembered was his brother cupping his cheek and rubbing it with his thumb…


End file.
